…voila!!

Raisin, Cherry, Ginger Oat and Quinoa Hot Cereal

March 6, 2013

Fact: I want to eat these crazy circus cookies all day long. Fact: The short winter days filled with nothing but grey are getting a bit tiresome. Truth: After taking one bite of this warm, comforting cereal you will forget all about the sunless days and the night skies that turn dark so quickly. Hey, Daylight Savings Time? I will be happy to see you again! A recipe appeared in my inbox one day from Epicurious that caught my eye. I had the two main ingredients – steel cut oats and quinoa in my pantry. That evening I gathered the ingredients, added them to a pot and boiled them quickly, covered and set the whole pan on the back of the stove. I went to bed, weary from the long day, and wondered just what the weather would bring the next morning. 5:30am and the call came…snow day. There is something about dried fruits in the winter that I really crave. Candied ginger, dried tart cherries and golden raisins went into this cereal. Cinnamon, cardamom, freshly grated nutmeg, salt and a pinch of cloves were added in. I gently reheated this cereal and served it with a handful of frozen blueberries, a splash of almond milk and a tiny drop of golden maple syrup. It was the right thing to do after all.

Note: I prepared this recipe using the overnight method. So program the coffee maker, squeeze some fresh oranges, set up your tea supplies. Tomorrow morning is going to be great!! (PS - I have also included the instructions for a regular stove top method as well)

Ingredients

1/4 cup candied ginger

1/4 cup dried cherries

1/4 cup golden raisins

1/2 cup steel cut oats

1/2 cup quinoa, well rinsed

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

pinch of cloves

4 cups water

Instructions

Combine the dried fruits, oats,well rinsed quinoa, and spices in a medium sized saucepan. Add in 4 cups of water. Stir this mixture, bring it to a boil, turn off the heat, cover the pan and set the pan on the back of the stove overnight. Alternatively, you may bring this mixture to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 - 25 minutes.

Gently reheat the cereal over medium low heat. Serve with a bit of almond milk, a dash of maple syrup and a handful of frozen berries if you would like. And, please, smile at everyone you meet today!